I was introduced to big bore anti-tank (anti-material) rifles back in the 80s when I became an ardent follower of the board game Advanced Squad Leader (ASL was originally produced by the Avalon Hill Game Company, which was purchased by Hasbro, who discontinued production of the game. ASL is now published by MLB pitcher Curt Schilling and his Multi-Man Publishing company.) For those of you unfamiliar with the game, ASL was arguably the most accurate and detailed squad level tactical board game ever developed, with counters representing individual squads, leaders, tanks and support weapons.
Anyway, the one support weapon that caught my eye was the L-39 Lahti 20mm AT rifle. In game terms the Lahti was heavy (5 portage points) and it fired off of the AVF kill table under the 20L column (the only squad portable weapon capable of doing so.) In real life terms the L-39 was heavy, (109 pounds, necessatating its transport by reindeer) and possessed such savage recoil (its cartridge, the 20 mm x 138 mm Solothurn Long, was the largest ever fired by a shoulder fired weapon in the war) that the Finns dubbed it the “Norsupyssy” (“Elephant Gun”), but it was also capable of reaching out 1,000m and penetrating 10mm of armor plate. Rendered obsolete by advanced Soviet tank designs by 1941, the incrediable accuracy of the L-39 enabled it to remain in service as a long range sniper rifle.
Seventy years later, the concept of the long range, big bore, anti-material rifle has come full circle. With .50 caliber (12.7mm) rifles a dime a dozen, my question now is, who fields the new Elephant Gun of the 21st century?
In terms of penetrating capability, the Big Stick designation would seem to go to the Austrian Styer IWS 2000. Firing a propriatary 15.2mm APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) mini tank round, the armor piercing dart will penetrate 40mm of test armor at 1,000m. Unfortunatly, the 40-pound IWS 2000 has yet to enter service with any military (its unique ammunition is a logistical turn-off to most nations.)
As for absolute caliber, the biggest rifle out there is the Barret XM-109 25mm payload rifle. Firing a low-velosity, scaled down version of the 30mm M789 HEDP (High Explosive Dual Purpose) ammunition used by the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the XM-109 is capable of penetrating just under 40mm of armor, and, when used with the Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS) has an effective range of 2,500m. Yet, like the IWS 2000, the 33-pound XM-109 is still in a developmental status (currently the felt recoil of the XM-109 is outside maximum Army tolerances.)
But, if youre looking for something you can take home tonight, the gun for you is the Croatian RT20 20mm rifle. Developed to shoot the thermal sights off of Serbian M-84 (T-72) tanks, the RT20 fires the 20x110mm Hispano-Suiza HS 404 cartridge which can trace its roots back to the 1930s. Marketed as a 20mm hand cannon, the RT20 fires the largest 20mm cartridge of any currently available anti-materiel rifle (most other 20mm rifles are chambered for the Russian 20x99mm R ShVAK round or the German 20x82mm WWII-era MG151 projectile.) To compensate for the rounds enormous kick, the 42-pound single-shot RT20 is equipped with a unique gas-operated recoil compensating blast tube. Operating along the same principles as a recoilless weapon system, this blast tube redirects propellant gasses to the rear of the firer, to reduce felt recoil. Unfortunately, this recoil method also presents a blast hazard for individuals behind the weapon, so care must be taken when firing the RT20 in enclosed spaces.
Of course, the hard part is going to be finding reindeer to pull it…
This “gun”, which can be carried by 3 people, is
really a laser:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/08/tactical-laser-.html
Too bad the Time magazine article that mentions it
is from 1972. So the project probably never made
it past the concept phase.
I’m sure the guys in the field could have found
some interesting uses for a weapon like that.
Whats wrong with just putting .50 caliber SLAP ammunition in your .50 caliber rifle?
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/slap.htm
30mm of armor at 500m
20mm of armor at 1200m
Not quite the penetrating power of the Aussie cannon, but not quite so heavy either
Yeah, I just love it when people without the historical background knowledge start talking about scoped anti-material rifles as if they’re some modern and revolutionary concept. I’m glad to see that at least this author appreciates the historical roots of the concept.
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/6272/solo7kw.jpg
Yeah, real novel…
Anzio Ironworks currently sells two different 20mm rifles.
A single shot take-down rifle:
http://www.anzioironworks.com/20MM-TAKE-DOWN-RIFLE.htm
And a magazine fed model:
http://www.anzioironworks.com/MAG-FED-20MM-RIFLE.htm
Sheeeesh! Just how big do we have to go to be effective? I’m still sold on the capacities of the Barrett! that’s the size that keeps field units “mobile” Anybody remember the word? M-O-B-I-L-E!
Its a shame that anything over .50″ is counted as a “Destructive Device” and needs a Federal license.
Didn’t CA make even .50″ rifles illegal? As if gangbangers were using them–
I remember seeing some 23mm+ South African Anti-Material Rifle in Jane’s Infantry Weapons. Boom.
If anyone reading here (including the author) checks the playtesters list for ASL first edition, they’ll find my name as MVP, “most valuable playtester”. Don Greenwood, David Quigley and myself damn near rewrote that game for over two years of intense playtesting before it was released. But damn if it wasn’t worth it! Glad MultiMan is keeping it alive, I understand they actually have a new module out!
Greenwood.… as in Lt. Greenwood, the American 9–1 leader? I salute you and your colleagues for your efforts to make ASL possible.
Cheers!
How could you forget to include the Mechem NTW-20 out?
if i remember correctly, the hungarians got a rifle that shoots 14.5mm rounds, the old Russian anti-tank rifle rounds of wwII, except it’s smaller.
http://www.geocities.com/landofsnipers/weapons/gepardENG.htm
I’m biased. Proudly South African.
The NTW-20 is arguably the best elephant gun out there. Ease of use, low recoil (Like firing a R1) and and sheer stopping power. Designed for settling long-range disputes in SA’s big flat plains, it would blow Rudolph’s nose off before Santa even knows you’re there. And I once heard a rumor by a army buddy that someone had once used it as a Elephant gun.
Umm… I’m Finnish and interested in war history, especially the Winter War and Continuation War (the wars Finland fought against the Soviets during WWII), so I’m fairly certain in saying this: we used horses to pull and carry most everything that needed pulling and carrying beyond the capacity of humans during the WWII. Horses, not reindeer.
The Brits and the USMC user the boys anti tank rifle in 50cal (I think,not the BMG round) and the Finnish army used it. Ref; Time Life books history of WW-II vol#1. Hope this helps
Too bad for Americans: bores over .50 inches require Fed licences which at that level. are almost inpossible for an individual to obtain as greater that .50 puts you in the class of Destructive Devices, ie modern cannons, rocket launchers, tanks, ect.
There used to be a military surplus store in downtown Hammond, Indiana that had one of these (rendered non-working) in display in the front window. How it got there would be an interesting story no doubt.
Cranky
I’m a former active duty USMCR sergeant combat correspondent with a special interest in military history. Didn’t the British and the Canadians have a similar rifle during WWI — an ungainly looking thing — and the British in France at least before and during the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII?
Good Morning Folks,
I know most of you are way to young to remember this but about 50 years ago anybody could buy one of these in firing condition mail order in the United States. They were sold as the best way to rid yourself of jackrabbits.
I remember one of the guys in the neighborhood bought one and the kids sometimes were allowed to play Army with it. It was heavy.
The sale of this weapon was a reqular stable in the pulp mens magazines of the era. The literatry masterpieces usuall had a slick cover and the inside pages were newsprint. They had names like “True Men’s Adventure”, “Men of Action”, “Men’s Digest” etc. often many often had a scanty clad (for the 50’s, today it would be called teenage street and school wear) centerfold and the gerne usually sold for $.25. The bread and butter stories were WWII adventure, often having something to do with Nazis. A lot of POW escape stories if I remember. They were great.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
The Boys bolt operated rifle was used in the
early part of WWII by the Brits. Fell out of
use quickly as it would not disable any Kraut
tank then. Understand the Marine Raiders had
a few issued to them. Story is they were used
on the early raid on Maken( ) in the Pacific.
It was a .55 cal round.
Several years ago I saw one of this fired at the Spring Class III shoot at the Albany Rifle & Pistol Club, Albany, Oregon. (Oregon is a GREAT state for class III ownership).. The Albany Spring Shoot is always a big event. I highly recommend it. Anyway, it was great to see this item fired. As I remember, it had a hand crank to retract the bolt. Contrary to popular belief, getting/buying a “papered” legal machinegun or destructive devise is not that difficult. Legal machineguns are the best investment item anyone can purchase. They have appreciated tremendously in the last 20 years.
Patton Museum at Ft Knox has a 20mm Russian Gun on Display.
SFD
I had recently seen a Sniper Rifle that was recently developed that surpases most sniper rifles to date. The rifle is the XM109 Anti-Material Payload Rifle by Barrett Firearms MFG and Unertl. The XM109 is a modification of the M107 .50 cal Sniper Rifle and fires 25MM AP of the same type as the XM307, as shown on this Global Security website http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m109-ampr.htm.
I don’t know which is more impressive, that this can fire 25mm or that it weighs only 33 lbs. I don’t know if this is fielded yet, it may be too much of an overkill for most combat seen today since most enemy combatants aren’t using light armor vehicles. It maybe useful if it can fire airburst rounds. It was mentioned is this website that nonlethal rubber projectiles could be used for riot and crowd control but I can’t even imagine what it would take to reduce the force of a 25mm round to just hurt a person and not cut him/her in half. Unless Nerf can make that bullet. Or make an airburst round filled with small paint balls for a small crowd. But eben that would be a challenge and maybe an overkill for this weapon.
At what point does it become simpler to mount a zip gun on a small UAV?
A good friend and I wisely invested $125 in this fine instrument in 1965 or so; we should have wisely invested in more APT (hardened steel projectile with copper driving band) ammo at $1 rd., but they didn’t pay grad students much back then. Registered properly in 1968, the Lahti has not fired a shot in anger or in pleasure for many years and appears quite happy being a mere, much admired, object of art.
A good friend and I wisely invested $125 in this fine instrument in 1965 or so; we should have wisely invested in more APT (hardened steel projectile with copper driving band) ammo at $1 rd., but they didn’t pay grad students much back then. Registered properly in 1968, the Lahti has not fired a shot in anger or in pleasure for many years and appears quite happy being a mere, much admired, object of art.
Some additional thoughts
Ill take one, Great for:
Shooting sharks ( IE Jaws) IF boat stable & shark in range.
US Mex Border
Next Rambo movie
007 use?
SWAT use.
USFS use.
Secret Service use.
Now add armor piercing rounds.
Bye bye Target.